Will Novak Djokovic be ready for Australian Open after withdrawing from warm-up tournament in Adelaide?
Novak Djokovic withdraws from Australian Open warm-up in Adelaide, saying he is not prepared to return to competition ahead of the year's first Grand Slam; Watch the ATP and WTA Tours live on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app
Tuesday 6 January 2026 07:00, UK
Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from next week's Australian Open warm-up tournament in Adelaide to focus on being ready for the year's first Grand Slam at Melbourne Park.
Djokovic has not played an official match since defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final of the Hellenic Championship in Athens in November.
The 38-year-old then announced he would be pulling out of the ATP Finals for the second year in a row, citing a shoulder injury.
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The 24-time major champion, who won the Adelaide International in 2023, made the announcement in a statement on social media.
"To all my fans in Adelaide, unfortunately I'm not quite physically ready to compete in the Adelaide International next week," the 38-year-old Serbian said.
"It's personally very disappointing to me, as I have such great memories of winning the title there.
"My focus is now on my preparation for the Australian Open and I look forward to arriving in Melbourne soon and seeing all the tennis fans in Australia."
The Adelaide withdrawal comes days after Djokovic announced he would be cutting ties with the Professional Tennis Players Association, a group he co-founded that sued the sport's governing bodies, including the ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation and International Tennis Integrity Agency, accusing the organisations of "systemic abuse, anti-competitive practices, and a blatant disregard for player welfare."
Djokovic will be bidding for an 11th Australian Open crown and record 25th Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park.
The tournament runs from January 18 to February 1.
Australian Open prize fund reaches record high
In other news, the prize fund for this year's Australian Open has been increased by 16 per cent to AUS $111.5m (£55.27m), making it the largest purse in the tournament's history, organisers announced on Tuesday.
The two singles champions will each pocket AUS $4.15m (£2.6mi), up from the AUS $3.5m (£1.74m) which Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys took home last year.
"This 16 per cent increase demonstrates our commitment to supporting tennis careers at every level," said Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley.
"From boosting qualifying prize money by 55 per cent since 2023 to enhancing player benefits, we're ensuring professional tennis is sustainable for all competitors."
The US Open offered the largest prize fund of the Grand Slams last year with $90m (£66.4m), while Wimbledon offered a total of £53.5m and the French Open 56.35m Euros (£49m).
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